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Building the Lawn
Severe soil erosion, extensive weed and thatch problems , nutrient and organic substance deficiencies , all result in lawn problems and is extremely improper for a healthy green lawn, coz of which you might want to replace your existing turf with a new lawn. Building a new lawn altogether is though a tedious task, will last you longer. Proper seeding, choosing the right grass type depending on the climatic conditions, planting sprigs or plugs, or laying sod are some of the ways for you to build and have a refreshingly new lawn altogether.
Sprigs
Sprigs can be normally planted by machine over large lawns; they can be hand planted too in smaller lawns. These comprise of cut-up lengths of below the ground or aboveground runners, known as rhizomes or stolons, upon which there are normally 2 to 4 joints, or nodes, from which the fresh new grass blades surface. Sprigs can be transmitted and then pushed into the soil or planted in shallow lines.
Plugs
These are round or square pieces of sod that are about 2 inches length wise, that could be planted in opening that are equally spaced all through the lawn. After some months, the grasses from the plugs increase and fill in the gaps.
Sod
Sod is obtainable in carpet like sheets that are typically about 3/4-inch thick, 1-1/2 feet wide and about 6 feet long. Pieces should be laid at a 90 degree angle to a slope in irregular patterns just like how bricks are laid.
Lawn grass types
There are various kinds of lawn grasses and not just about any sort of grass can be called a turf and used for your lawn. Each of these lawn grasses has different growing requirements depending on the season those they grown in and the kind that is selected. Your local weather conditions play the most important role in their growth. The “Warm – Season” grasses are most suited for the southern regions, “Cool – Season” grasses for the northern regions and the “Transition – Zone” for the eastern and other parts of the country, these are usually the most challenging areas for the grass to grow as these areas are either too hot or too cold.
Lawn seeding
The best times for lawn seeding is late summers , between August to September and later in April and May as there are fewer weed problems during this time, soil is warm for the seed to germinate faster and these seasons are ideal for cool season grasses. Remove unwanted weeds, loosen the soil and level the entire lawn area; spread the fertilizer and the seeding at 4 to 6 inches deep in the soil so that a uniform and even base is formed so that the grass roots grow healthy and strong. Once this is done, level the soil with a lawn rake and ensure that the seedbed is firm and solid and free of any lumps of soil and that the seed is not covered with more then ¼ inch of soil. Slightly turn around the surface for a better seed- soil contact. Keep the lawn evenly moist once the seed is planted, once they germinate, water more heavily but not too often.